Not Quite Over
by i.like.fire
Summary: On a trip to New York the Flock end up finding a lost experiment with a painful past. As a new part of the Flock she tries to fit in and adjust to the simple life, but it's easier said than done. Post Max FAX IggyXOC
1. Chapter 1

MAX POV

I heard a loud thud come from downstairs and winced. It was followed a only a moment later by Nudge yelling, "MAX! Iggy and Gazzy blew up the blender again."

I sighed heavily and rolled my eyes even though no one was there to see it. I stopped packing for a moment to go check the damages. When I got downstairs Iggy and Gazzy were already trying to clean up the evidence.

Fang watched them with his neutral expression as he sat on the counter while they frantically tried to clean.

"You didn't even try to stop them?" I asked Fang.

He just shrugged and said, "It's more fun to watch you yell at them."

Ever since we settled down three years ago Fang and I have been seriously dating. We've also started going to this fancy private school because there is apparently a law that says if you're under 18 you HAVE to go to school.

But we've also been doing work with CSM in the name of making the world a better place without crazy scientist. Our life has drastically shifted since the days of dumpster diving and running for our lives. The adjustment has been slow but we're used to it…mostly.

I sighed, "I don't even want to know." I told them sternly. "As long as you clean it up."

"Okey dokey." Iggy and Gazzy said at the same time. It was kind of creepy but I let it go.

Gazzy looked relived and went to get a towel to wipe up whatever it is they were trying to mix, while Iggy skillfully managed to pick up the broken glass of the blender without cutting himself.

For a moment I wished my mom was home tonight instead of with Jeb. I would have to spend more time with Jeb but at least she could be the one to yell at Gazzy and Iggy so I could finish packing.

Another major change that has occurred in the past few years is the relationship that has developed between my mom and Jeb. Although I refuse to take them seriously even though they _are_ my parents. The only reason I have been somewhat ok with Jeb is because ever since Itex has been shut down he has been working as a research scientist here in Phoenix and has working on a way to fix Iggy's eyes.

The kitchen was now clear of glass but Iggy and Gazzy were already whispering to each other and looking shady.

"Don't even think about it!" I threaten.

Gazzy has the decency to look a little ashamed but Iggy just grinned. I like to think we've all grown up a bit in the past years but then I think of the sink bombs Iggy and Gazzy made last week and how Nudge can talk about nothing for hours, how Fang uses his invisibility power to scare everyone, and Angel when she accidently reads our waiter's mind when we go out to eat.

Physically we've all changed even if our personalities haven't. It seems like everyone has gotten taller except for me. Iggy and Fang tower over me and Gazzy seems to be catching up too. Iggy has become quite handsome over the years and even though he can't see it, Ella has had the biggest crush on him for quite a while. Sometimes I wonder if he actually knows and is just too nice to let her down. Nudge has also been…developing which I refuse to think about because she already gets too much attention. Angel is growing just like the rest of them but is still my baby.

Once the kitchen is restored to its natural state I turned to Nudge and Angel who were sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hey what are you guys doing?" I asked, amazed at the way they seemed to be completely oblivious to the trouble their brothers were getting into.

"Nothing." Angel said sweetly and Nudged smiled widely at me. They were up to something, I was just about to ask them about it but Fang interrupted me.

"Hey Max. Come look at this." Ella called from the living room.

"Ella, I don't have time to watch TV. I have to finish packing." I complained and headed back up the stairs.

"Trust me. You're _all_ going to want to see this." she insisted, her voice surprisingly serious.

I was still skeptical that it was anything important but I walked into the living room anyways to see what she was talking about.

On the screen was a news anchor talking about an unusual sighting in New York. In one corner of there was a picture of the Flock from when we escaped from Disneyworld years ago and next to it was a similar looking picture of a blur that was supposedly from somewhere in New York. Where, interestingly enough, we were headed to tomorrow.

School was off next week so CSM took that as a queue to schedule a huge conference in New York. Where there will be doctors and scientists from all around the world to learn from us and stuff.

"No one knows what this _creature _is. It was spotted last week and has baffled experts investigating the subject." The news anchor said. I was hoping the story would continue but the screen changed to someone talking about the weather.

I turned away from the TV to see that the rest of the flock had also come to see what was going on.

"Do you know what that was?" Gazzy asked with wide eyes.

"I have no idea." I admitted.

"Well what are you going to say when people ask you about it?" Nudge asked. "Cause they totally will, they never have anything interesting to ask us but now they actually do. Maybe for once it won't be so totally boring-"

"I didn't know," I cut her off. "It could end up being nothing, a hoax. Now that we're out in the public maybe someone is trying to make it seem like there are more of use. It wouldn't be the weirdest thing to happen to us."

"Do you really think it could be someone like us?" Iggy asked seriously.

"Nothing is impossible although it is highly unlikely." I explained calmly, although I was slightly freaking out inside. "No one has to worry about anything though; it's been years since we've had to deal with anything like that. Just go finish packing and we'll deal with it tomorrow." I told them.

Nudge, Angel, Iggy and Gazzy all went to their rooms to get their stuff. I turned around and Fang was just staring at me.

"What?" I asked him.

"Nothing." He assured me as he moved closer to me a wrapped his arms around my waist and held be tightly.

"You're lying." I mumbled into his chest. I felt him shake as he laughed at me.

"I can tell you're worried about this mystery thing a lot more then you let on." He said. Every day I am amazed at how easily Fang can see right through me, it scares me sometimes.

"I've just gotten used to things the way they are. I don't want it to change. I'm still so tired after everything we went through." I admitted. Fang held me closer and kissed the top of my head.

"Well we can worry about it when the time comes." He said and let me go.

**THANK YOU FOR READING**


	2. Chapter 2

**Before you start reading this chapter you need to know it is in the POV of my OC. Her name is Dakota even though you find that out next chapter. Just a warning in case anyone gets confused.**

* * *

My days always start the same.

I woke up suddenly in a cold sweat. It's the same dream that wakes me every morning. But it's worse than a normal dream. It's a flashback of jumbled up images while I sleep, when I can't keep the memories locked away.

I sat up on the grimy old mattress I slept on, which is pretty descent, compared to what other people in this abandoned warehouse sleep on. The place is filled with crazies and teenage runaways. I'm not sure which category I fit into. At least here a homeless teenage girl doesn't stick out much.

I slipped off my thin hoodie and instantly regretted it. All I had under it was a too small tank top and that didn't do very well in the New York winter. Once I made sure no one was around I slowly spread out my wings and stretched. They were grey that faded to black and could barely fit in my cramped little corner.

Sighing I thought about the last time I flew, which was only a week ago. But unfortunately last time I got my picture taken by some tourist and now I'm plastered all over the news. I can't risk flying for a while in fear of being spotted.

I heard a something moving behind me and I rushed to put my sweatshirt back on. Once I was covered I scanned the area and saw it was only a rat. I'd gone 4 years without being found, not including last week, and it would suck to be blown now.

Quietly, I made my way outside to the dirty street and walked briskly too keep warm. I stood forward with my hood up and tried to blend in with my shady surroundings but anyone my height tends to stick out. Six foot isn't exactly discreet.

It was 8 by the time I got to where I was going. There was a small hole-in-the-wall dinner were I spend my mornings. I walked in I saw there were only a couple people there, but luckily my favorite spot at the counter, right next to the TV was empty. I smiled to myself and sat down.

I started coming here when I very first got out of the Institute. I had been wandering the streets and cold when I noticed this place. It seemed just run down enough to let someone like me stay for a bit.

At first Celia, the old lady who runs the place would just ignore me because it was pretty obvious that I had no money to actually buy food and I'm pretty sure my scars freaked her out. But soon enough, maybe after two weeks she finally took pity on me and gave me some toast with a side of bacon. Now I come here every morning and get some food. On some days it's the only food I get.

And today, just like every other day the TV that hangs on a single dangerous looking shelf, was on some news station. After I was able to regain feeling in all my fingers and toes I noticed that there was something actually interesting was on. The "Maximum Ride" and her band of bird-kids were on the TV. I knew they were talking about the pictures that were taken of me even though the thing was on mute. Indescribable emotions started to swell up inside me as I stared at the sugar packet I had started fiddling with.

Once the other people left the restaurant Celia placed a waffle in front of me and I dug in. Celia likes to talk to me, well more like at me, because I don't really add much to the conversation. But she never asks me where I'm from or what I'm doing here when I should be in school or even if I have any parents, so I put up with it, on most days at least.

"All those god damn bird-kids should be in cages." Celia muttered under her breath and I started to choke in surprise.

I drank a sip of water as I continued to cough up my waffle. After I was finally able to calm down, I was relieved, because let's face it after everything I've been through, choking would be a crappy way to go.

Most of all I was extremely surprised that a comment like that would come out of Celia who looks like she could be anyone's loving grandma.

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

Celia seemed surprised I was even capable of speech.

"I just don't think it's natural to have those kinds of_ things_ around." She said.

"You think those _things_ wanted to be like that or that they had a choice?" I said bitterly.

"No, but…" she began then trailed off either in surprise of my speech or she really had no reason for her opinion. I decided to just leave it alone and focus back on my food.

Celia turned the sound on and I could hear the people and reporters talking and trying to get answers out of Maximum.

"Is it dangerous?!" some guy yelled. I flinched at the use of the word "it" to refer to me but I just kept my head down and ate in silence.

"No. Of course _it_ isn't dangerous. "she said and from the tone in her voice I could tell she was offended at the use of 'it' as well. Once she answered there was a thunderous hum of all the people trying to ask questions at the same time.

"Look," she said clearly. "I don't know what the picture is of. Could it be another hybrid? Maybe, but I don't know. " That only seemed to make the reporters throw more questions at her.

It went on and on like that for at least another half hour. Her denying any knowledge of my existence and the reports just asking more questions like if maybe they asked enough questions they would get the answers they wanted. Even when finished my food and Celia cleared my plate away, I stayed and listen to the people talk.

Eventually it was all over and when it was, I stood up quickly and was out the door without saying bye to Celia and after what she said I didn't really want to say anything to her.

I was shocked again about how cold it was outside. It pierced right through my sweatshirt and I shivered. I really need to find a heavier jacket. I was thinking about where I could possible get a jacket from when out of the corner of my eye I saw a mother walking along with her son who was maybe about 10. I stopped walking and cringed, the boy's light brown hair reminded me so much ofCal. If he were still with me he would have been about 10 too.

I quickly turn into a side alley and sat behind a dumpster so no one would see me. Not that I had anyone to be strong for. I sunk down to the ground and got swallowed up in my emotions. But I didn't cry, I never cry anymore.

The Institute tried to make me hard and strong so I could face anything. Their goal was to make sure I thought with my head not my heart and to see the world like they did, as a dirty wasteland that needed to be wiped clean. They did everything they could to mold me into their ultimate fighter, I even have the scars to prove it.

Maximum Ride on the other had is a celebrity to the rest of the world, while I wear the same clothes for a month. I think back to what she said on the television. She denied my existence over and over again; she didn't know I existed while I knew everything about her. Sometimes it makes me so angry to see her with everything: a family, a place to live, anything anyone could want, when I'm just like her. I was trained to _be_ her… and I wasn't always alone.

Unwanted memories flood my brain but I force myself to shut it off as I got up from behind the dumpster. I stood up and straighten out my pitiful excuse for clothes and continued to walk down the street. This is what I did most days. I walked.

I don't really have much of a purpose. It always feels like I'm looking for something. Some days I'm not sure what for but deep down I know. I'm looking for my family that's probably dead. But with clues and nothing else left, I walked. New York is a giant city and I never really strayed too far from the warehouse, but today was different. Before I realized it I'm in a part of the city I don't recognize. People are dressed nicer and the sidewalk isn't as covered in garbage.

I asked some guy on the street for the time, he looked me over and I know what he saw; an obviously homeless girl and I saw it in his eyes as he noticed my scars.

"It's a quarter to 2." He said and looked at me as if I would bite him at any moment. I mumbled thank you and walked in the opposite direction.

By 3 o'clock I made it to an even nicer part of town. I was sitting alone on a park bench at a playground that was right across the street from a school. The school was clearly closed for some kind of holiday but the playground was still full of kids. I sat there with my hood up and trying to hide my face. Parents of the kids eyed me cautiously but I ignored them and they ignored me.

I've walked nearly around the whole city but I had never been to this side of town before and apparently the people here don't take to homeless teens as well as they do in worse neighborhoods.

I scanned the playground. It was almost sickeningly sweet to see mothers watching their kids play on the playground as they shivered in their thick designer jackets and gossiped about each other.

I looked up for a moment and saw a middle aged woman with dark brown hair yell to her son.

"Come on James. Let's get home before you freeze your butt off!"

"Just 5 more minutes mom!" her child shouted back at her. He had familiar light brown hair and his voice seemed familiar too. My heart froze in my chest and my breath came in short gasps.

His back was to me as he talked to his mom. I sat up straighter and tried to get a look at him but was struggling to keep my emotions and thoughts under control.

She just shook her head and said "Fine. But no longer than that, ok?"

"Thanks!" he chirped back and went to his friends.

When he turned around my heart froze. It was him it was really him. It took every ounce of my self-control to keep myself from running to him right then. I watched him in open disbelief as he played with other kids as his thick glasses slid down his nose.

Five minutes passed and his "mother" called for him and he ran to her. I was still frozen in my spot.

As she put handed him his jacket she spotted me looking at them from across the park and narrowed her eyes. They gathered their things and promptly started walking away. I swiftly got off the bench and tried to make my way over to them.

I had to say something, anything but there were a lot of people on the sidewalks and they were getting farther and farther away.

I ran in to the street to follow them just as a taxi zoomed by. I jumped back just in time to not get hit but I ended up falling over and landing hard on my wrist. I heard a sickening crack and a sharp pain shot up through my arm.

"Are you ok?" a guy came forward and asked. He had expensive looking clothes on and he seemed to have an air of importance about him. I looked around and unfortunately there were a lot of people and they were starting to gather.

"I'm fine." I said through gritted teeth. I needed to get away from here as soon as possible. More attention means more people to lie to and the more likely you are bound to slip up.

"No you're not." he insisted. "Look at your wrist."

"I said I'm fine." I told him again but I looked down at my wrist and saw that it was in fact bent at a painfully sharp angle.

"I happen to work at a hospital nearby. I wouldn't mind taking you there if you would like." He offered kindly.

"You're a doctor?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yes and the hospital I work at is less than a block away." He said. Thoughtfully I took the time to look at him; he was really young and looked like he was just out of school. I tried and tried to think of an excuse to tell him but the truth is I had a broken wrist and no one wanted to see me go away without help. If I refused to go it would raise more attention and I desperately didn't need that.

"I don't have any money." I said desperately trying to get away.

He finally hesitated. "We have a free clinic there where you can get treated. No strings attached." He said carefully, understanding my internal dilemma.

"Ok."

**THANKS FOR READING**


	3. Chapter 3

"Iggy stop trying to feel my cards!" Fang said irritably. I looked up from where I was watching TV with Nudge and Angel to see Fang looking angry and Iggy looking smug.

"It's not my fault you put them where I can feel them." Iggy defended.

"That's it; I'm done playing cards if you're going to cheat."

Iggy put up his arms in a fake surrender and Gazzy laughed.

Fang continued to grumble and sat down next to me. He put his arm around me and kissed my check. I leaned into him and felt calm for the first time all day.

The press conference this morning was as stressful as I feared it was going to be. All anyone wanted to talk about was the sighting of another bird kid. They asked me all these questions I couldn't answer.

"Relax." Fang whispered in my ear. "Forget this morning. Everything is going to be fine."

"Sometimes I think you can read my mind." I smiled at him.

Fang was just about to say something but a knock at the door interrupted him. I climbed to my feet and went to the door. I expected it to be my mom coming to talk to me about our flight home tomorrow so I was surprised to find a police officer standing at our door.

"Can I help you?" I asked him.

"Are you Ms. Ride?" he asked.

"Yes? Do you want to tell me who you are and why you're here?" I asked a little snarkier then I should have.

"I'm Officer O'Hare and I'm going to need you to come with me." He told be simply. But I wasn't about to leave so easily.

"What's going on?" asked Fang as he came up behind me. I turned slightly and saw the entire Flock standing behind me. They all wanted to know what was going on too.

"There's a situation at a hospital a few blocks away and they could use your help." The officer said vaguely.

"Help with what?" I asked.

The officer looked nervously around the hallway. "That's classified information and I'm not at liberty to discuss that here." Again with a vague answer. It was starting to get annoying. "But if you come with me I promise someone will be able to explain everything to you."

"Ok." I said hesitantly. "Give me a second to get ready."

"Of course." He said politely.

I went inside and once I was sure he couldn't hear me I asked Angel if she could get anything from his mind.

"No." she said frustrated. "He was purposely trying to not think of the reason he's here. It's like he knows I can read his mind."

"Max are you sure this is a good idea?" Iggy asked. "We've been fooled before an-"

"What if it's a trap and you guys get captured…again. What would we do if-" Nudge began to ramble.

"Guys!" I shouted to get their attention and shut them up. "I'll be fine. If I'm not back in an hour and I haven't called then you can worry."

"I'm going with you." Fang said and the look on his face told me it would be pointless to argue.

"Of course you are." Iggy said slightly annoyed.

"Iggy you're in charge. No bombs." I told him.

"But if I'm in charge doesn't that mean I can-"

"No!" I cut him off. "No bombs."

"Thank god." Nudge muttered.

"You guys still have to listen to me!" he said excitedly.

Nudge grabbed my arm and looked pleadingly in my eyes. "Come back soon."

"Of course." I told her. "Come on Fang."

After a quick goodbye to everyone Fang and I went back out to meet Officer O'Hare.

"We're ready." I told him.

"Follow me then."

The hospital was, like he said, only a few blocks away and we arrived within a few minutes. As I stepped inside I had an immediate reaction. The smell of disinfectant and medicine made my stomach churn. I looked at Fang who I knew had to be freaking out too, it was the slight tightness to his jaw that told me all I needed to know.

We were lead down a deserted hallway that was far from the main traffic of the hospital with no nurses or patients around. At the end of the hall there were two doors across from each other, one door that was being guarded by two guys in uniform and the other door was open. The officer led us through the open door where a young and familiar looking doctor was examining at an x-ray on one of those light up things. He was mumbling something about bone structure when he spotted me and Fang.

"Hello you must be Max." he said.

"You would be right." I said not quite comfortable being here without knowing why.

"And Fang, right?" he asked now looking at Fang.

"Yeah, you seem familiar do we know you from somewhere?" Fang asked.

"You might recognize me from the conference this morning." He said. "My name is Dr. Price but you can call me Henry if you want."

"I'll call you . Now if you wouldn't mind could you please tell us why we're here." I said shortly, I was getting impatient and this place was getting to me.

"Oh right of course." He said and pointed to the x-ray. "Tell me, what can you tell me is different about this x-ray."

At first I thought he was joking. He may have been smiling but he was serious. Fang and I both looked at the x-ray. What I saw first was a large crack near the wrist but the more I looked at it I realized it looked like one of my x-rays or one of the Flock's.

The bones were thin and if you looked hard you could tell they were hollow. It was defiantly an x-ray of a bird kid but none of us had broken our wrist like that.

"Where did you get this?" I asked shocked. I looked at Fang and knew he realized the same thing.

"I took it a few hours ago." He said almost smugly.

"That's impossible." Fang said. We had all had our doubts about whether or not there was another one of us out there. But now that it seemed it was entirely too possible.

"No not at all really. You saw the picture that was taken. There is another one of your kind around the city and I think I found them." The doctor said and looked like he expected a prize.

"How did you find them?" I asked. "I doubt they just walked in and announced themselves."

"I was simply walking to work. There was nothing all that special about her except she was tall, thin and dirty." He said taking his time. My patience was running out and I was fighting the urge to shake him to get to the point already.

"She stepped out into the street and almost got hit by a taxi but she was able to jump out of the way. Unfortunately she fell on her wrist and broke it. I brought her here to set her bones and put on a cast. At first she refused treatment and I thought it was because she was a runaway and didn't want to be caught but as I found out, that wasn't the case at all."

"So where is she now?" Fang asked.

"She's just across the hall."

"The one with the guards?" I asked irritated. "Do you really think she's going to hurt anyone?"

"It was just a precaution." He tried to explain.

"Against what? What is she going to do?" I asked.

"That's just it, we didn't know. That's why we contacted you. We figured you would know how to deal with her."

"Deal with her?" Fang asked this time.

"Well yes." He said. "You don't want to see her back on the streets, do you? She may be too old for any kind of foster home and she obviously has nowhere to go."

Fang and I looked at each other and tried to figure out what to do. The doctor was right, we couldn't just leave her. But I was worried, just because she was an experiment like us didn't meant she was good.

We've run into people just like us who have also wanted to kill us.

"Can we meet her?" I asked.

"Of course." The doctor said and led us to the room across the hall.

"I'll let you speak with her alone." He said and left us.

The two guards stepped aside to let us in. The room was like any other hospital room, two beds, side tables, a TV and some chairs. There was a girl sitting on one of the beds with one of her arms handcuffed to the railing on the side and the other was trapped in an uncomfortable looking plain white cast.

The first thing I noticed about her was that she was skinny; really skinny it was obvious that she hadn't been eating very much for a long time. She hugged her legs to her body in an attempt to make her seem smaller but it was in vain, even sitting down could tell she was tall, probably closes to Fang and maybe even Iggy in height. The clothes she was wearing were dirty and completely inadequate for a snowy winter. She also had on a pair of dog tags which I hadn't expected; I had never seen an experiment with those before.

She had dirty blonde hair that covered her face as she looked down at her torn up tennis shoes. When she heard us come in she looked up and I got a good look at her face and I tried not to gasp. She was pretty with her blonde hair and deep hazel eyes but what surprised me was the scares on her face and probably the rest of her body by the looks of it. At first glance there were only a few dark lines on her face but looking closer she had countless faint scares all over her.

Her expression was blank and emotionless and she looked at us except when she saw me notice her scars. She narrowed her eyes and became guarded.

"Hi." I said in a desperate attempt to break the silence. "I'm Max and this is Fang." I pointed at Fang and he nodded at her. She followed all of our movements but her expression never changed.

"Do you have a name?" I asked.

Again…nothing.

"Are you going to talk to us?"

She looked around impatiently which for some reason really got on my nerves.

"Well if you talked to us we could get it over with." I said which wasn't really true considering we were planning to take her with us.

"My name is Dakota." She said simply.

"What are you doing here in the city?"

"I'm on vacation." She said softly, looking me right in the eyes.

"You're sure dressed appropriately for snowy weather."

"I know who you are." She said not reacting to my comment.

"Oh really?"

"You're Maximum Ride." She said.

"How do you know that?"

"I know things."

"You could have fooled me." I said sharply. Her one sentence answers were getting on my last nerve.

She narrowed her eyes and she shifted around nervously.

"I just want to leave." She said finally.

"Why? There's nothing out there for you." I said.

"You don't know that."

"Let me guess you're homeless. I mean look at your clothes. You're barely more than skin and bones. How much longer do you think you can survive like this? Because you're doing a swell job on your own." I pointed out.

"Are they going to keep me at this hospital? Cause your right I don't have anywhere to go but am I just going to be left here?" She asked.

She didn't want to imply that she was scared but from her voice I could tell she was truly worried by not knowing what was going to happen to her.

"You're going to be coming with us." I told her.

I don't think she could have been more surprised if I had told her we were going to the moon.

"What?!" she exclaimed but neither Fang nor I answered her.

We got the guards outside her room to unlock Dakota's hand cuffs and we lead her outside. She trailed behind us but we kept a close eye on her. From the corner of my eye I saw her shiver in the cold as we waited for a cab outside. Fang made a quick call to tell the Flock that we were on our way back to the hotel and to not send out a search party.

Once we got to the hotel. I caught a glance of Dakota who was looked around and the modern furniture in the lobby with a concerned look. For a moment I thought back to a time when I was just like her. I looked around the lobby as we waited for the elevator and sympathized with her shock.

Just as we finally reached the room I heard shouting coming from the other side.

"What's that?" She asked and looked at the door warily.

"Time to meet your new family." I muttered and pushed open the door.

**THANKS FOR READING**


	4. Chapter 4

Max POV

About 8 people called my name and rushed toward us when we walked through the door. The Flock as well as my mom and Ella were there looking relieved when they saw me.

"Max we were so worried. Thank goodness you called. We were about to go recuse you but your mom insisted that we wait a little longer-" Nudge was beginning to assault me with words but she stopped before she could really get on a roll when she spotted Dakota. It was like everyone noticed her at once, well except for Iggy who was looking around confused probably wondering why everyone stopped talking.

"Um…guys this is Dakota. She's going to be staying with us." I said and motioned for Dakota, who was hovering by the door to come and meet everyone. "Dakota, this is the rest of the Flock, Iggy, Nudge, The Gasman who you can call Gazzy and his little sister Angel. Over there is my mom, Valencia Martinez and my half-sister Ella."

Everyone waved to her when their name was mentioned and they all looked at her with curious expressions, except for my mom who looked concerned more than anything else. From the look on Angels face I could tell she was trying to read Dakota's mind and I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

"Why is she staying with us?" Gazzy asked. I glared at him for being rude but he did have a point. I bet they were all wondering why we brought back a dirty homeless girl.

"Um… I'm like you guys. I have wings and…stuff." Dakota mumbled as she spoke for the first time since she got arrived.

"Really?" Ella asked with wide eyes.

Dakota nodded barely.

"Max?" My mom asked looking at me for conformation.

"She's like us. That's what they need us at the hospital for. She broke her wrist and was found by one of the doctors. The people at the hospital didn't know what to do with her so they called for us to take her in." I explained.

My mom seemed to consider what I said and nodded still looking slightly worried.

"Well it's the only thing you could have done. It's very nice to meet you Dakota. I was just here making sure this lot was ready to leave tomorrow but it seems that I have to go book another ticket for our flight tomorrow." She said and went toward the door. "I'm going to go down to the front desk to arrange everything for tomorrow. You should get Dakota some new clothes and let her take a shower. I'm sure she sure she'd like that. "

She was right; from the look on Dakota's face when she mentioned a shower I could tell she really wanted one. I showed her to the bathroom and gave her some of Fangs clothes because she was too tall to fit into any of mine. I left her to get cleaned up and went back to where the rest of the Flock plus Ella were talking excitedly in hushed voices. I sighed.

"When she gets out do not bombard her with a thousand questions, ok? Give her some space." I warned them knowing that was the kind of thing they would do. "Don't ask where she came from? Or pretty much anything about her life."

"Basically don't talk to her at all." Iggy clarified.

"I'm glaring at you Iggy." I said and it was true. "She's shy and I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable. She'll tell us when she is ready."

"Sure Max." Angel agreed and they all nodded.

Things seemed to kind of turn normal when Gazzy complained he was hungry. I rolled my eyes and ordered us some pizza. Just then Dakota emerged from the bathroom and everyone went silent as they all looked at her. So much for making her feel comfortable.

Her hair, now washed, was a lot lighter then I originally thought it was. She was dressed in one of Fangs signature black t-shirts and a pair of his jeans which were both really baggy on her thin frame. She clutched her old clothes tightly in her hands. I told her that we would get them washed and reluctantly she let go.

She stood awkwardly not really knowing what she should be doing or where she belonged. I gave everyone a meaningful look and they went back to what they were doing. Nudge, Ella and Angel pulled out the cards and started playing while the boys started to watch something on the TV that had a lot of explosions.

My mom returned a few minutes later having booked a ticket for Dakota. She tried to get Dakota to talk but she had about just as much luck as I had, a mumble here and a mumble there. The pizza arrived soon after and I could see the relief in Dakota's eyes when my mom left her to go pay for the food.

Everyone gathered around to get some food. Fang and Iggy both grabbed about 4 pieces each and the rest of the Flock ate just as much. Ella and my mom both ate slightly less considering they didn't need thousands of calories a day. Dakota on the other hand hung back and took only one piece and nibbled on it.

"You know you can have more than one piece." I told her as everyone settled around in the living area.

She looked embarrassed and stared down her food. I felt kind of bad for pointing it out but I honestly have no idea what else to do to make her any more comfortable.

Typical antics erupted as Gazzy peeled the cheese off his pizza and grossed out Nudge and Ella by comparing it to a scab.

Once everyone was done eating, we decided to watch a movie everyone crowded the couch except for Dakota who sat at the table playing with the deck of cards. Half way through the movie I saw Angel struggling to keep her eyes open. I looked at the time and it was getting late. We had a long day of travel ahead of us tomorrow.

"Guys, I think it's time for bed."

"No." Angel said faintly. "I'm not even tired."

"Yeah right." I scoffed and carried her to the girl's room. My mom and sister both said good night and went to their own room while I made sure everyone got ready for bed. There were only two beds so Dakota either had to share with someone or sleep on the couch. I made the choice for her and decided to put her on the couch which I think was the better of the two choices. It gave her some privacy that she probably really needed.

I gave her an extra pair of pajamas to sleep in and while she was changing I used a spare sheet to make the couch a little more like a bed. I was just tossing some pillows on to the couch when she reappeared in the pajamas which were just as baggy as the other clothes and she looked just as uncomfortable as ever.

"I know it's going to be hard getting used to living with people but you're now part of the family." I said and before she could respond I walked into my room.

I could finally relax. Everyone was in bed and it was silent for once. The boys were in their room on the other side of the hotel suite. I laid down and let my body relax. Soon my breathing evened out and I was fast asleep but not for long.

In what seemed like only moments later I woke up to the sound of screaming. I woke up with a jolt I looked around the room and saw Nudge and Angel also slowly waking up and I suddenly realized it was Dakota who was screaming. But before I could get out of bed her screams stopped.

I burst in to the room with Nudge and Angel close behind me. Dakota was sitting upright on the couch looking both frightened and embarrassed. The boys also came out of their room in a rush.

She had her legs pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped tightly around them. Her face was cover lightly in sweat and her scars seemed to stand out more than before with her hair stuck to her face in a few places.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly.

I moved first and sat next to her on the couch. She was silent now but she was shaking and her breathing was loud.

"Are you ok?" I asked gently. I knew it was a stupid question but it was the only place I could think to start.

She seemed unable to speak but she shook her head no.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I had a bad dream." She whispered. I could see it in her face. She realized how lame of an explanation it was but I could tell it was the truth. It must have been some bad dream to make someone scream like that.

"What was it about?" Fang asked. She looks at him as if she didn't realize he was there. I looked at Angel to see if she was getting anything from Dakotas mind and I think she was because she had an unusually sad look on her little face.

"It was about my family."

We were all stunned silent as we absorbed this piece of information about her.

Nudge asked excitedly. "You had a family? Where are they? We could try to find them I'm sure we could. We have friends in the government and-"

"They're dead." Dakota said bluntly, looking Nudge right in the eyes with a blank expression, which shuts Nudge up quickly.

Iggy moved to sit on the edge of the couch as she said, "At least I thought they were."

"What do you mean?" Fang asked her. He was trying to get her to spill her story.

"I wasn't always alone. I used to have a Flock of my own." She said not looking at anyone.

"What happened to them?" I asked.

"They died." She said dryly.

"How did they die?" Iggy asked.

"How do you think?" she asked with barely concealed anger.

But before anyone could even answer her, if they even dared, she continued. "You were going to ask for my story either way so I might as well just tell you now."

"Right now?" Gazzy asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, why not just in the morning?" Angel agreed.

"No, we're going to talk now. Get things figured out." I decided. "Tell us everything."

She sighed ran her hands over her face. "I was raised in the Institute here in New York. I know you've been there. The whitecoats wouldn't stop talking about it for months after you left."

"But we didn't see you. You weren't in the lab." Gazzy pointed out.

"There were two labs, the primary lab and the secondary lab. You guys only got in to the secondary lab. It would have been impossible for you guys to get to us." She explained.

"Why do you say that?" Fang asked.

"We were too important. There was no way they would have put us in a place that could have been broken into so easily. " she said.

"How do you know it was so easy?" I asked her.

"You went through the sewers, picked a lock and went down some stairs." I was about to ask how she knew that but she cut me off knowing what I was going to ask. "I know all that… because we studied you. All of you."

"What?!" seemed to be the reaction from most of us.

She nodded. "I was originally made to _be_ you, Max. I was the one who was supposed to 'save the world'. But when you escaped with the Batchelder guy, their plans shifted to you."

I was shocked. I had always been grateful to Jeb for freeing us, but knowing now that if he hadn't I probably wouldn't have had to go through all I did and I really didn't know how to feel about that. "But why switch to me?" I asked.

"Because you were already in the outside world and could be put into normal society easier, or something like that. They also figured your fear of being captured again would give you stronger motive to follow their plan. You were unpredictable but you had motivation ten times stronger than we did." She explained.

"What happened to you then?" Iggy asked.

"Like I said, we studied you. I was taught to be a leader and how to fight…. " she trailed of and ran her hand over her the scars on her arms. "We got an education too, which you didn't have." She paused. "They tried to brainwash us into believing in their cause, to follow them blindly. We became a backup plan for you, in case you failed."

"You keep saying 'we' and 'us' but who were they?" Angel asked innocently.

Dakota was quiet for a moment and I didn't think she was going to talk again. She looked at her hands, which like the rest of her was also covered in scars, with a sullen expression.

"We had labels on our cages." she blurted out. "The labels had descriptions on them, like our hair and eye color as well as our height. They also had names of a state. There was North Dakota, Louisiana, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and California. " she listed off.

"That's how we got our names." She explained. "Dakota, Louie, Ginny, Penn, Mary and Cal."

A painful silence fell over the room and I didn't know if I wanted to hear the rest of this story. Putting names to her lost family made it all seem more real and tragic.

"The whitecoats said they had captured you and were 'retiring' all of the experiments. I knew it was now or never if I ever want to escape with my family, and how hard could that be? I mean, you did it multiple times. " she asked with her voice wavering and looked at me. I felt my throat tighten.

"But I wasn't quick enough, or smart enough…" she said in a whisper. The Flock sat quietly and hung on her every word. "They didn't go in any particular order. They took Mary first, then Louie. It's my fault they died. I should have gotten them out before…"

She had tears welling up in her eyes and had to clear her throat before she continued. "The rest of us got out. It was the first time we had ever been outside with fresh air and it was the scariest thing in the entire world. It was worse than the Erasers or any test they could have put us through. We were running through the crowded streets and when I looked back I noticed Penn and Ginny were missing."

"They were the same age, practically twins. They did everything together it only makes sense that they would disappear together too. Then it was just me and Cal. He was the youngest and I had held his hand most of the time. But I had let go cause I thought he could follow me and keep up because the crowd had gotten thinner. I was wrong, of course, because the next thing I knew I ran into an alley way and I was alone."

"What happened then?" Nudge asked.

"I don't know. For the longest time I thought they had been recaptured and killed but…."

"But what?" I asked.

"My mind might have been playing tricks on me from being alone for so long but I could have sworn that I saw Cal. He was with a woman who acted like his mother and called him James but I thought it was him." She said.

"What did you do?" Gazzy asked.

"I tried to go after them but I got too caught up I forgot to look for cars and..." She said and held up her cast.

Everyone just kind of sat there not sure what to do. I sighed. "I think we've had enough emotion for tonight." I concluded. "Time for bed, for real this time."

Everyone mumbled "night" and shuffled off to their rooms.

Iggy patted Dakota's hand gently as she looked hesitantly into his blind eyes before he got up and went to the boy's room.

"Will you sleep ok?" I asked.

She shrugged.

"Thank you for telling your story." I told her.

She just nodded and laid back on the couch. When I got to my room I looked back and saw her staring up at the ceiling with her eyes wide open. I climbed back in to bed and I think got about just as much as she did.

**THANK YOU FOR READING**


	5. Chapter 5

Dakota POV

Never. Not in a million years did I ever expect to fly in an airplane. I mean, I have perfectly good wings on my back why would I lock myself in a metal can that's gets flung into the sky, and when I think of it like that it makes it even worse. I was wound up so tight I thought I was going to explode at any minute.

The borrowed clothes that I was wearing were at least a size too big and hung off me in an uncomfortable way. I had talked Max into letting me keep my torn up tennis shoes, which were the only familiar thing about me right now. I had even started to bit my nails and bounce my leg to sooth my nerves which was something I had never done before.

"Nervous?" Iggy asked me. He was sitting next to me outside the terminal we were waiting in to board out flight.

"Yeah." I admitted. "I've never flown in an airplane before. I can fly myself why would I ever need to take a plane? I mean why would you willingly put yourself in a glorified tin can with a hundred other people a thousand feet in the sky?" I realized I was starting to ramble and abruptly stopped.

I sunk father down into my chair and tried to smother my fears in silence. My hand made its way up to my mouth and I started to gnaw on my nails again. I focused on my breathing and bounced my leg as I tried not to freak out.

Iggy laughed and smiled at me. His unfocused blue eyes made my stomach start churning more than it already was. I didn't know what it was about him but he made me feel like I wanted to hide whenever he looked at me which was ridiculous because he was blind.

"You need to calm down." Iggy told me bluntly.

"Sure." I mumbled, like it was that easy. I knew he was probably right but how could I calm down when falling out of the sky in a hunk of metal was a possibility.

He seemed to sense I wasn't going to calm down anytime soon and tried another tactic. "It's really not that bad. It's something you get used to."

"I've never left New York before." I confessed, I didn't know why I was telling him this. Mary used to tell me that talking out your fears makes them less scary and maybe I was subconsciously reaching out for help.

"The city or the state?" he asked.

"The city." Thinking about it now it is kind of sad that I had never left the city before.

"Wow."

"What?" I asked.

"Well I can't imagine being in the same place for so long. Our house in Arizona is one of the only places we've ever stayed longer than a year except for our old house in Colorado that Jeb took us to." Iggy told me.

"It's comforting, I guess, to be in the same place for a long time. You really know your surroundings." I said after a moment.

Iggy was just about to say something else when Max walked up seeming perfectly at ease.

"What are you guys talking about?" she asked.

"Nothing." Iggy said easily. I was grateful for his answer because Max is the last person I would want to know that I was scared.

"By the way you're gripping the arm of that chair it seems like you're talking about something." She pointed out.

I felt my face turned red and I looked at my shoes.

"There's no need to be scared." She said reassuringly as she repeated Iggy's earlier words. I still didn't say anything and I noticed Max's jaw tighten in frustration. She seemed to get flustered by me and went to sit by Fang.

"She hates being ignored." Iggy leaned over and said after Max was out of earshot.  
"I can tell." I said.

"Are you doing it on purpose? I know that sometimes I do."

"Doing what on purpose?"

"Ignoring Max." He said.

"No. I just don't want to answer."

He laughed and shook his head. "You are something else."

I didn't know what he meant or if it was a good thing.

"Now boarding all passengers on flight 156 to Phoenix, Arizona." Someone announced over a loud speaker.

"Now for your imminent doom." Iggy said grinning at me. I knew he was joking but I kind of wanted to hit him for making me nervous all over again because the moment he said that my stomach felt like it was dropped off of some kind of skyscraper.

I fought the urge to throw up as I got up and followed the rest of the Flock to the gate. With every step my body told me to run away and never look back but I didn't; I was kind of proud.

"When I booked your ticket I couldn't get one near the rest of us so I'm going to take that seat and you can take my old ticket and sit with Ella and Nudge." Dr. Martinez told as we walked.

I nodded and smiled because it was a kind gesture to let me have the seat next to someone familiar but I secretly pinned for the seat surrounded by strangers.

Since the moment she woke up I don't think Nudge had stopped talking once, except maybe to eat. Not that she wasn't nice, I just didn't want to be talked at for the next five hours. Ella, although, seemed to keep her occupied, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Once on the plane, I got the seat next to the window.

Now in my seat I clung to the arm rest for dear life. My stomach, already not feeling the best, was thrown through a loop when the plane took off. Nudge placed her hand on mine and smiled comfortingly at me, I tried to smile back but I probably just looked like a grimace.

Ella and Nudge got so consumed by their own conversation that they didn't even think to include me. I wondered if Max had specifically told them not to bother me, she probably did, just like she did yesterday when I was in the shower. I don't think she knew that I heard. I wasn't sure if I should be great full for her thoughtfulness or upset that she didn't think I could take care of myself. I decided to be upset. It was easier that way.

I didn't really have anything to do on the plane so for a while I just looked out the window. I wish I could say that I was perfectly content to stare at clouds all day but after a while it got boring and I started to listen to things around the plane. With my acute hearing the baby crying a few rows back was especially grating on my already frayed nerves.

I rested my head against the window and tried my best to block out all the noise. I didn't even realize I fell asleep until I felt someone touch my arm. I jumped as I woke up, instantly on alert, only to find Nudge looking at me with wary but knowing eyes. Ella honestly looked a little frightened.

"We're getting ready to land. I just wanted to wake you." Nudge said cautiously.

"Thank you." I said and sat up straight. She nodded and went back to talking to Ella. I rubbed my eyes and stretched my neck after being in such an awkward position. I hadn't realized how tired I was from last night. After I had told my story I didn't get any sleep.

Nudge was right, within a half hour the plane was descending quickly. Instinctively I gripped the armrest of the seat and tensed as the plane touched the ground. I gave a huge sigh of relief as the plane slowly made its way to the gate so we could get off.

"You survived." Iggy announced when we got off the plane and everyone laughed. I felt my face turn red.

"Yeah well I've survived a lot worse." I mumbled. Max looked sympathetically at me which made me feel worse.

I stood awkwardly by myself as everyone got their bags very aware I didn't have any. Once everyone had their bags we headed out and I was surprised to find that it was so warm. By the curb there was a man standing beside a van who waved at us when we came out.

Dr. Martinez walked up to him and kissed him. From the way everyone cringed I figured no one was particularly happy about their relationship. I pretended not to notice that as he greeted everyone they all looked like they didn't want him to be here.

He finally seemed to notice me and reached out his hand. "You must be Dakota." He said.

I shook his hand but remained my normal silent self. For a moment I wondered how he knew my name but then I realized someone had to have called him to tell him that they were bringing home a stray. I was suddenly shocked when I realized I recognized the man, I had seen his picture before.

"You're Dr. Batchelder, aren't you?" I asked. I knew Iggy had mentioned a Jeb but I never knew _this_ was the one he was talking about.

Unlike me, he wasn't surprised at all that I knew who he was. Then I realized he probably knew more about me than I knew about myself.

He just nodded like it was expected and said, "Yes I am." But the others weren't so unwilling to question it.

"How do you know Jeb?" Max asked first.

"Remember, I studied you?" I said tensely.

"You know, it's kind of creepy how much you know about us." Gazzy commented.

I shrugged, he was right of course, I probably knew more about them then they realized.

"No need to call me Dr. Batchelder. Jeb works just fine." Jeb said. "Better get going, how was your guy's flight?" he asked and started some small talk.

Once everyone's bags were in the car we all pilled in. Things were a bit cramped and I ended up sitting next to Angel, Gazzy and Nudge in the back. As we drove through the city to where ever their house was I suddenly got very nervous.

I had never been outside of New York and Arizona seemed to be the complete opposite. In New York there are buildings everywhere and where there isn't buildings there's cement and barely anything green. Here, there still wasn't that much green but where there weren't buildings there was desert, with sparse plants, sand and rocks everywhere. Here, I was completely lost.

It took about a half hour to reach the house. It was large, at least two stories with a huge yard that stretched out in every direction. The van drove on a gravel road up to the front of the house.

Chaos seemed to ensue as everyone jumped out of the car, got their bags and ran inside. Without any bags to carry, I slowly and cautiously made my way to the house. Everyone walked around doing things and I simply faded into the background, watching everyone.

"Hey." Max spoke from behind me and I almost jumped.

"What?" I snapped, on edge from being surprised.

"Do you want to see your room?" she asked and raised eyebrow at my tone.

"Umm…sure." I mumbled.

"Come on." She said and motioned for me to follow.

She led me up the stairs to a long hall way with doors on both sides. Most of the doors had signs on them with names of whoever it belonged to.

"The house is pretty big even for the six of us and there are a few spare rooms and each of the rooms has their own bathroom which comes in handy in the mornings." She said and took me to a room at the end of the hall. It was next to Iggy's and across the hall from Nudge's room.

She nodded for me to open the door and I did. I walked in and was surprised at how large it was. It had plane white walls and a simple bed but I wasn't going to complain. This room was the most extravagant place I had ever had to call my own, it was the _only_ place I could have ever called my own. I was speechless and walked over to the bed and sat down.

"The room was empty but Jeb bought the bed this morning so you could have somewhere to sleep. You can borrow some more clothes and stuff until tomorrow when we can take you to buy your own things." Max explained to me and leaned against the door frame.

I nodded but didn't really listen; I absentmindedly ran my hand over the bed as my throat tightened involuntarily. I don't know why I was getting so emotional over something as simple as a bed.

"Thanks." I said and my voiced shock slightly. I cleared my throat and said it more clearly.

"No problem." She said and left me alone.

**THANK YOU FOR READING**


	6. Chapter 6

MPOV

"Where's Dakota?" My mom asked as she walked into the kitchen, noticing Dakota wasn't amongst the Saturday morning chaos. She was freshly showered and ready to start the day after her and Ella spent the night to make sure Dakota settled in ok.

"Probably still sleeping." Iggy suggested as he placed an omelet on a plate. "Ella your food is ready."

"Thanks." She said softly and stared at Iggy a little bit longer the necessary when I caught her she blushed and hurried back to the table where Nudge was rapidly talking.

"Well she better get up soon because we need to take her shopping to get everything she needs. Oh! And we're going to need to go by the uniform shop and get her stuff for school." My mom said and walked over to the coffee pot to pour a cup.

"School?" I asked.

"Well yes. She has to start somewhere to get used to normal society." She explained.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" I asked. "You do remember how much trouble we had when we first started school right?"

Just then Dakota walked silently in to the kitchen with bare feet, wearing borrowed pajamas that were too short for her while cradling her cast against her chest. The entire kitchen went silent when she appeared and she looked curiously around at the sudden silence.

"Morning." She said softly and everyone greeted her warmly.

"Want some breakfast?" Iggy asked pointing to his frying pan. "I'm making omelets with anything you want."

She was quiet for a while and her face turned slightly red. "I've never had one before…I don't know what I like."

A tense air filled the kitchen as no one said a word. Iggy was the first to break the silence.

"Well I'll have to make one of my specialties. Cheese and bacon you can't go wrong with that, how's that sound?"

She nodded and a moment later she realized her mistake and said, "Yeah sure."

"How did you sleep?" my mom asked.

"Fine." She said and went to sit at the kitchen table between Gazzy and Angel.

My mom sipped her coffee and let Dakota eat her food without any more interruptions. I stood with Fang in the corner and watched how the rest of the Flock warily treated Dakota. I could tell Dakota knew she was being watched by the way her movements were so precise and careful.

"So, Dakota we were going to take you shopping today to get you all the things you're going to need now that you're living here." My mom explained to her once she had finished eating. "Especially your things for school."

"School? I have to go to school?" Dakota blurted out.

My mom got on her negotiating face that she uses when she has to get us to do things we don't want to. "It will be good for you, to be around kids your own age and live a somewhat normal life." She said and placed a hand on Dakota's.

"I don't have a choice, do I?" Dakota said reservedly as she pulled her hand away from my mom and into her lap.

"No, not really." I told her sympathetically.

She looked at me as if she was just noticing me there. She didn't glare like I thought she would she just looked at me then back to my mom. Sighing she asked, "When are we going?"

"Whenever you're ready?" my mom said calmly.

She nodded and went to go get ready.

She came downstairs only a minute later, wearing the same clothes she wore yesterday. Quietly she told my mom she was ready to go. The flock plus Ella were still in the kitchen now cleaning up the breakfast mess.

"Who wants to come with us and go shopping for Dakota?" My mom asked everyone.

Nudge, Ella and Angel all raised their hands excitedly while Gazzy made gagging noises as he dried off the dishes. I raised my hand too but with somewhat less enthusiasm.

I kissed Fang goodbye and rolled my eyes as the girls talked excitedly out the door. Nudge was walking next to Dakota, talking her ear off about this fashion magazine she just read. I had expected Dakota to seem bored and ignore her but to my surprise she at least acted like she was listening and nodded along to Nudge's ramblings. I never pegged her for someone to spare people's feelings.

She was absurdly observant during the car ride and around the first store we stopped in to get stuff for her room. I could tell she was checking around for quick exits or anything dangerous, I couldn't blame her, I only just kicked the habit last year.

"Ok, so you can pick out anything you want." My mom told her.

"Anything?" she asked.

"Yes, you're going to need stuff for your bed and probably a desk for your school work…" my mom went on and on as the list of things grew you could see Dakota growing more and more anxious.

"Don't worry, we'll help you out. I don't think you really have a choice." I said and pointed over to Nudge who was already walking around with Ella, looking at things. She almost smiled.

With a final look she went off on her own to look around. Her plain white cast on her thin arm seemed to weigh down her entire body. As she walked around the store she seemed out of place and uncomfortable. The awkwardness she carried around with her made her seem like she was in a different world then the rest of us.

In the end Dakota chose a set of dark green covers for her bed and a plain black desk. Everything she chose was modest and simple. It in no way stood out and I think it was what she wanted.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" my mom asked her for the hundredth time and Dakota nodded. She didn't even seem to mind and for once she actually faintly smiled.

Dakota POV

"Which one do you like?" Nudge asked me and held up two shirts.

One was pink and shiny and the other was purple and kind of ugly. I didn't really like either of them.

"Uhhh…the purple one?" I guessed because it hurt my eyes the least.

"Ugh! You're just like Max. I can just tell all you're going to wear is jeans and t-shirts."

"What's wrong with that?" I asked somewhat defensively.

"Nothing I guess." She said with a sigh and turned around and put the shirts back where she found them.

"Why does it bother you?" I asked while looking through some other shirts on the rack.

"It's stupid." She said more to herself then to me.

I didn't say anything. I just waited for her to continue.

She sighed again. "It's just…when we were on the run the only thing we could ever wear was goodwill jeans and old t-shirts because it was practical. But now that we're safe wearing a skirt doesn't mean life and death. I don't want to live like that anymore and that's how I show it."

I nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense."

"Really? Because no one really gets it."

"I get it." I told her.

"Does this mean you'll wear this?" she asked and held up the pink shirt.

"No." I said seriously, which made her laugh for some reason.

Nudge lead me over to where Ella has been picking some stuff out for me. Ella and Nudge start to pull out clothes and discuss it before either putting it back or hauling it along. At least someone is getting some kind of enjoyment out of this. Max on the other hand leaned against a rack of jeans looking bored with Angel close beside her. I broke away from Nudge and Ella for a moment and walked over to where she was, slowly scanning the clothes as I went.

When she saw me coming she tried to look more attentive but she didn't really fool me.

"Finding anything you like?" she asked me.

I shrugged.

She sighed and her shoulder sagged a little bit. "Shopping's not really my thing." She admitted, like she could fool anyone.

Angel giggled. I suddenly remembered that she can read minds I open my mouth to say something but she cut me off.

"It's ok, everyone forgets." She said.

Max looked between us trying to figure out what just happened. She doesn't ask so I figure she either figured it out or at least wants it to seem like she did.

I nod and don't say anything because I'm scared if I do, I'll say something stupid. Standing next to Max I tower over her a good 5 inches but even though she's shorter than me her confidence makes her seem larger. She looked up and I realize I was staring so I shifted my gaze quickly to something else which happens to be a rack of skirts.

Ella and Nudge found me after that and made me try on clothes. Most clothes don't really fit me because I'm so tall and skinny. Any shirt that is long enough is always too big around and any shirt that fits around me always ends around my belly button. And as far as pants go none of them are really long enough, always landing a few inches from my feet.

Eventually I find enough clothes, mostly shorts and boys t-shirts, to make up a wardrobe but it all feels too much for me. As we walk to the register I am slightly overwhelmed by the amount of stuff they've bought for me and realize that I will forever be indebted to them and I'm not really sure how that makes me feel.

Just as I pass the rack of skirts I spotted earlier, I grab a red one and place it in the cart. I catch Nudge's gaze and she opens her mouth but nothing comes out. For a moment Nudge was speechless, and from what I've learned about her, that was no easy task.

**THANKS FOR READING**


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